Hello dear reader. Thank you for clicking on this story!
In this segment of "What else can I tie the movie and books with?" I decided 'The Mermaids!' Having reread the novel books and 'The Sandman' picture book, I then realized the mermaids don't actually show up that much. Just some lines about being there for Sandy and singing him a song when his fears were starting to take over.
But ya know, this is my headcannon so I'm gonna talk about these mermaids anyway! While I normally would prefer to go into large backgrounds and details in my stories, I challenged myself a bit to focus just on one character and adopt the more 'bedtime' story vibe based off the novels and picture books. I quite enjoyed it as I found myself writing little more whimsically and the story seemed to flow better. Guess it helps with the main setting is in the ocean (does that count as a spoiler? I'm assuming mermaids automatically imply water).
Anywho, for general backstory: this headcannon takes place before Sandy crashes to Earth as told through an OC mermaid I named Marea, Queen of the Ocean. This story had become so long I decided to stop here and will upload the other part at a later (but hopefully not by much!) date.
With that, please read at your leisure!
Disclaimer: I do not own "Rise of the Guardians" or "The Guardians of Childhood." Those rights belong to DreamWorks and William Joyce, respectively.
It was a night as calm and quiet as any other night Marea had experienced. The Winds blew lazily against the water's surface without a hint of turbulence or mischief in their currents. The sea itself, though stirred up in the pockets surrounding tectonic plate activity or near areas of human activity, flowed gently around the earth.
A night she would have normally seen on a new moon, when the Man in the Moon and the waters across the planet were unable to properly speak with each other and thus wait patiently until the phase turned favorable for conversation to resume. As Queen of the Ocean, she was always tuned into such meetings and cycles in case matters needed her to promote a balance among the ocean, the waters that connected to it, and the land areas in the waters' paths.
The Ocean was on old being with little understanding of anything beyond pushing and pulling itself with the forces of nature. Manny, as the Man in the Moon had insisted she call him, had a love of Earth and its progress, but was too detached due to distance and natural forces to be more hands on.
Thus it fell to her, Marea the Queen of the Ocean and leader of the merfolk, to keep the natural order of the world and act as a connection between the ancient forces and the ever evolving creatures. For the seas came first, and thus the seas had a duty to protect what came from it. It is the seas which hold the mysteries of the world below its watery depths.
Not to mention the ancient aquatic animals who were much older than Marea herself by several lifespans. Something she always brought up whenever she required the counsel of such wise beings who premed at compliments such as hers.
And tonight, she considered seeking counsel of such creature as the Ocean's relative calm on this full moon night confused Marea. Normally the water would be lapping up along the shores, teasing unsuspecting life to draw closer in order to drag them away, nourishing the land creatures that could not live without water no matter far evolved they are from their ancestral domain, or setting boats and vessels against each other for amusement like a merchild playing with their favorite toys.
The stillness and sense of anticipation worried the mermaid, who called out to the Ocean, "Great being, which provides life and motion to our home, why are you behaving so strangely?"
Many of the other merfolk who passed and laid near her throne looked around in confusion as they heard her call in the ancient but incomprehensible language, a language passed only through the mermaid royals as dictated by the Ocean itself.
Two mermaids, her closest advisors and trusted friends, cast each other looks when they saw the Queen's face lower to a frown. A sign the Ocean had not provided her an answer. Something none of them had ever witnessed before.
Worried, they asked the Queen, "Marea, is there trouble we must prepare for?" "Do you wish us to call the sea life for a meeting?"
The redheaded royal merely shook her head, grabbing her staff which sported a semi-crescent shape with thin seaweed wire stretched over it and a shell the size of her hand above it. "That will not be necessary. It's merely my mind overly cautious of anything outside the chaos of the Ocean. Please, do not worry yourselves. I am heading out to consult those wiser than me in these sorts of matters."
Her two friends still looked worriedly at each other while the rest of the merfolk simply struggled and went about their tasks. They trusted their Queen to protect them and so long as she did not call for drastic action, they would remain calm.
As Marea gestured to a sea horse for a ride, the two spoke up. "We will join in then." "In case more compliments will be needed to help you gain the answers you need."
Marea laughed at their dedication, all three knowing how vain some of the sea life could be. Especially when they knew how much those of the royal line like Marea really wanted to know something. "Fair enough, and I would enjoy the company. Let us head out then!"
So the three set themselves upon their sea horses and darted through the water, their trails lighted by the full moon beams which often loved to dive to the water for disturbances such as theirs. The fish life took no notice of the merfolk save to swim slightly back to avoid the sea horses' paths. They would cast curious gazes at the disturbed water, but would continue swimming on without any care.
There was an old shark they met along the way, who complained to Marea quite crankily as they passed. "Why does the Queen disturb my night so with such turbulence? What is the rush for what does not seem like an emergency? Unless the Queen is privy to something that would affect us and chooses instead to clam her lips. What little regard the young have for their elders these days."
In an apologetic tone, Marea bowed her head to the shark she recognized from being old when she was a merling and stated, "Apologizes, great Fang, as it is only a youth's worry for things my little experience cannot assist me in knowing. As a wise being yourself, though, would you know why the Ocean is so calm despite the full moon resting above? I cannot even sense the tides frolicking along the shores as they usually do and it greatly worries me."
The shark, honored at such manners and respect, quieted their tone and replied, "I am afraid I do not, fair Queen. Long ago have I stopped noticing the world above and how it affects me apart from the normal cycles of the currents at this depth.'
"My advice to you, do not seek questions from too far down below as those creatures have also long ago given up caring how the Moon and the Ocean interact with each other. I say, consult the sea turtles among the middle currents, the starfish around the old rocks, or the sea snails that bask in the moonlight. They are all close to the surface and will pick up news from beings such as the Winds and passing creatures if there are any to be had."
"Your advice is heavily appreciated for one inexperienced such as myself," Marea replied. Her sentiment echoed by her companions espousing their own gratitude.
With a final farewell, they jetted to the three creatures who could provide the most assistance according to the shark.
They came upon the sea turtles first, but no amount of questioning or compliments could provide answers. With the moon so bright and full, they had no wish to discuss anything apart from news with just each other and welcome the youth who managed to make it to them that night.
Despite her disappointment, Queen Marea made sure to offer her congratulations and blessings for long life for all of them, especially the baby turtles who eagerly swam around her. She should have remembered that sea turtles keep to a schedule that not even she could break.
The starfish were a bit more helpful, as several exclaimed, "A new star! A new star will come! A new star not like us! A new star none the less! A new star!" But that was all Marea and her companions could elicit from the starfish, no matter how much they complimented their coloring or symmetrical natures.
All they would talk about was a new star, though it meant little to Marea who only knew of her starfish subjects and the bright, glittering objects above the skies that were such named and honored by humans. Her favorites being those related to the sea.
She did make arrangements to discuss the redecoration of her palace as starfish had a great eye for detail, and to deal with the neighboring barnacles that were very slowly creeping along with starfish's border. Most of the time the two groups got along well enough, but each had the tendency to invade the other on accident so it was best to deal with the slow moving invasions before it got too far.
On the way to their last group, one of Marea's friends said, "If the sea snails cannot help us, then maybe we could consult the Atlantians? Surely they would have some record or tool explain tonight's strange calm."
"Quite possible," Marea stated, giving a gentle course correction when her sea horse almost distracted itself. "Though they are still trying to figure out the strange occurrence of the disappearing man, so I do not want to disturb them further. They are an already paranoid lot sometimes. No need to encourage such ideas when even I'm not sure how serious this night is."
Finally they came across the sea snails, and began their round of questioning once again.
"Constant gatherers of the sea's knowledge and protectors of such secrets, can any of you ease my troubled mind? The Ocean is so calm, but the Moon is so bright and full. What is the reason for such a strange night?" Queen Marea called out, doing her best to keep her tone humble and not let a trace of her frustration slip. The Sea Snails could sometimes be easily startled, so a gentle approach was always needed in order to properly discuss matters with them.
Most sea snails did not respond to her, too wrapped up in what was in their shells to notice the newcomers.
Fortunately, a few spoke up eagerly.
"We have heard whispers from the moonbeams."
"And the moonbeams are whispers from the Man in the Moon himself."
"A battle has raged far away from these seas for eons."
"A battle which Manny himself barely escaped."
"A fellow voyager is on his way."
"His ship floated through the vast seas above."
"His ship was attacked by Pirates!"
"Pirates?! Do they infect every waters in existence?!" Queen Marea could not help but gasp, tightening her grip on her staff. Marea hated pirates, who had no regard or respect of others and dirtied her waters with their bloody crimes and trash. Pirates would often find themselves at her mercy should they be unfortunate enough to sail past her.
A couple of sea snails retreated in their shells at her outburst, but most were too engaged with their gossip to stop now.
"His ship will fall from Orion."
"Man in the Moon and Ocean will help him."
"His ship will crash."
"His ship will rest on top of Ocean."
"His ship is coming now!"
Suddenly, as the sea snails said, Marea caught a glimpse of golden light shooting across the skies above them. All the sea snails suddenly popped from their shells to witness the event, even the ones who didn't acknowledge the mermaids earlier. None of them wanted to miss the event and desired to covet their tales in their shells.
The three mermaids watched in amazement as a dazzling light which twinkled near the shoulder of Orion streaked down and made a path straight for Earth. Marea could sense something powerful and ancient, more mysterious and deep than the Ocean itself, emitting from the object and she found herself frozen in fear.
Should that object hit any land mass, countless land creatures would be lost. While she was a being and protector of the Ocean, anywhere water had touched was a place she cherished as water was life and life gave water respect. Not to mention the harm the human children would face.
Children who whispered their hopes, dreams, and promises to all under her domain from water droplets to seashells to the fish that swam by. Their wishes akin to little grains of sand that with the right environment and enough time would form new and fascinating things more dazzling than pearls.
Overcome with a sudden thought, Marea closed her eyes and said for all around her to hear, "I wish to meet you."
She had to protect the Earth, and the best way to do so was to hope the object would change course and land in the arms of the Ocean instead. The earth was too rigid, to set in its ways to accommodate something so sudden and imposing without proper preparation. The Ocean, however, flows and shifts for anything and could handle something this amazing and strange at such a short notice.
The two other mermaids looked at each other in confusion. However, following their friend's example, they each repeated, "I wish to meet you."
Even the sea snails called out the same wish, their voices passing smoothly over each other so each had a chance to be heard. "I wish to meet you." "I wish to meet you." "I wish to meet."
Suddenly, the bright object shifted course and instead of falling from the area of Orion's shoulder, managed to alter its course further down towards the horn of Pegasus. A little more course correction and it slid under Orion's feet and appeared to be heading toward the sea.
Just before the golden fireball crashed, a moonbeam fell near Marea and she swore she heard a soft, childlike voice call whisper to the object. "I wish you well."
In a blink, the object met the ocean and everyone's vision exploded with a blinding light. The sea snails hastily clamored into their shells, not even the most daring wanting to risk themselves for something unknown like this.
Eventually, the light faded and all was quiet and peaceful upon the sea once more. In the far off distance, they could see something glowing on the waters. Whatever had struck the ocean, it wasn't sinking and appeared to slowly form itself to its new environment.
Everyone remained quiet for several minutes, no one quite sure what just happened or what this meant. The two friends murmured to themselves that they should head back to the kingdom. "Everyone must be so confused." "Maybe the Ocean will finally answer." "Hopefully everyone is alright."
Marea, however, tuned out her companions and took in a deep breath, letting herself become entangled with the Ocean.
"Great Ocean, is this why you were still? Is this why you are so calm on a night such as this?"
A small wave nudged her thoughts. A voice washing over her in its ancient and deep tone. 'Man in Moon asked for help. Friend in trouble. I helped.'
"I see," she responded. And she understood why this night was so different.
If the Ocean had been lapping along the shores and causing chaos as it always did during a phase like tonight, it would not have been able to cushion the object's landing so readily. The being inside and whatever was in it would have been broken to pieces and broken beyond repair. Ocean had prepared itself to catch Manny's friend, saving them and limiting any potential damage to the ship (which remained so graceful despite its erratic path!) and Earth. "You are a true friend, Great Ocean."
The water around her playfully splashed against her, and the Ocean ebbed away to set off to do what it desired. Its job was done, now it was up to Queen Marea and Manny to deal with this new visitor.
A visitor she was excited to meet.
Smiling, she told the sea snails, "Hear this, you shell shocked protectors: We just witnessed the arrival of a shooting star! Someone who the Man in the Moon knew before his time above our skies! I will head out to greet this grand wanderer, who has sailed through the Milky Way, past the Pieces, Delphinus, Aquarius, and the other sea creatures of the skies! A traveler across any ocean is a friend of my seas."
Despite her loud shouts, all of the sea snails had poked from their shells to hear such grand and unique news. Excited chats and note comparisons immediately erupted among the group, and Marea used that moment to lead her sea horse to the crash site.
Her companions barely had a moment to ready themselves before the trio zipped through the waves towards their destination. Behind her, the friends muttered, "A visitor!" "From above!" "Oh, wait until they hear about this below." "They will be envious of our night's ending."
While her companions chatted excitedly among themselves, Queen Marea held up her staff and activated the shell. The object let out a gentle glow that attracted a nearby moonbeam, who immediately altered their course to speak to her.
Feeling a link established between her and the moon's resident, Marea asked, "Were you going to tell me about this night's events or would I have stood idle while such a spectacle happened over my waters?"
"I do apologize, Queen Marea," Manny stated, his tone nervous at the thought of her being cross with him. "I would have immediately contacted you had Pitch and his Dream Pirates not lanced Sanderson's ship and he lost control. Events happened so quickly that I barely managed to explain to Ocean what was happening before the star was captured by Earth's atmosphere. If I had delayed for a minute, Pitch and his Dream Pirates would have successfully destroyed one of the last shooting stars of the Golden Age."
Her face darkened at the mention of pirates once again and she remembered the numerous conversations she had with Manny about his childhood and the faraway place known as 'The Golden Age.' A place countless depths from her own home with wonders not even the treasures of Atlantis and children's dreams could ever hope to match. A place that was fading away if a royal such as Manny, the long displaced Pooka in Australia, and a recently stranded star captain were now compelled to call Earth their home.
By tides wrath she hated pirates of any sort!
"All is forgiven, old friend," she stated, willing herself to calm down as water sprayed around her. Above their heads, they could see specks of golden sand falling lazily around them. "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. And fellow sailors are always welcomed across these seas."
"You are too kind, Queen Marea. Please, do what you can for Sanderson. He is a gentle creature, with a large heart and great courage! A truer friend could never be found."
Giving her final blessing and promise, Marea cut off the connection and focused on the rapidly approaching island before them.
The trio slowed their steeps as they took in the sight before them.
Where once laid an open ocean lit up only by moonlight and stars, there now rested a sandy sort of island that glistened like gold. Long, spiraling tendrils of what appeared to be sand flowed across the water's surface to form giant swirls that reached out gently toward the approaching party. Grains of that sand drifted away and caused the water below to brighten in intensity and beauty comparable only to a clear, calm, moonless night reflecting the stars above on its watery surface.
They noticed the outer swirls, though still bright, were somewhat dimmer than the swirls near the center, and those were also dimmer than the area dotted with sand dunes in what appeared to be the main nucleus of the island. In the center of those sand dunes as an open cliff where something much brighter lay.
From that form came swirls of what could only be more sand that shifted and morphed without pause.
"That must be where Sanderson lies," Marea commented out loud as they leisurely swam through the swirls. Some strands reached out to them and trailed along, brushing against its visitors with cautious enthusiasm.
While the two friends kept their hands firmly placed on their seahorses, Marea boldly held out hers and couldn't hold back a gasp of wonder when a sand strand wrapped around her hand in greeting. Immediately, sand shapes of those she knew, underwater creatures, and other wonders of her ocean home sprang up in animated motion.
"Amazing," she muttered and encouraged her friends to reach out as well.
And thus the sand showed off their power to imitate and conjure whatever passed through the mermaid's thoughts until they finally made it to the center of the island. The strands shyly parted away as they became one with the island once more.
Above them was a small ledge where brighter sand streams swirled above and a small head of hair poked out from the edge. "That must be Sanderson," Marea called out and attempted to lift herself onto the ledge.
Much to her shock though, the structure gently shook and once she was firmly resituated on her seahorse, the ledge itself slowly slid down until the three surrounded a small, golden man sleeping peacefully before them. His smile dazzled them with its gentle, peaceful nature as the figure had visually had no cares or worries apart from his slumber.
"Oh, what a sparkling creature he is," one of the trio stated quietly, her face reflecting the glowing figure's. "What dark creature would dare attempt to vanquish such a wonder!"
"Dream Pirates led by a being known as Pitch, that is who," Marea muttered coldly, but quickly wiped such dark thoughts away as she too stared in wonder at the fallen star. "This is a dear friend to Manny, which means he's a dear friend to me. He is a lost traveler who needs his rest. His ship may be crashed, but that does not mean he has no shelter or friends. I will ask all of the sea life to treat him hospitably, and he will be placed under my care.'
"For now, let us head back down to the kingdom so we can relay what has happened to the others."
One of her friends chuckled as Marea finished, pointing out movement along the ledge that was approaching the sleeping man. Slowly, the shapes of various sea shells popped out of the sand and circled around. Keeping a respectable distance but close enough for the figure to sense he had company.
"It appears your subjects are already making sure our guest feels welcomed. With the Ocean around, this ship active, and these shells standing guard, I am sure this Sanderson will have a wonderful rest. For what could be more soothing than gentle waves while being surrounded by familiar and amenable company?"
"Right you are, my friend," Marea conceded, smiling at the sight before her. "Come, it is time for us to leave."
As they prepared their seahorses, Marea called out one last time, "Sweet dreams, dear Sanderson. If you need anything, just call out for 'Marea' and I will come. Thank you for fulfilling my wish. I cannot wait to further meet you!"
From one of the shifting streams, a small face formed along with a tiny hand. The face smiled so widely it stretched from one side to the other and the hand waved back and forth enthusiastically.
Marea smiled and waved widely in return before heading back to her home. As the water surrounded her in a familiar embrace, the mermaid Queen eagerly imaged the day the stranded sailor would awaken and how she could make him feel welcomed in his new home.
Above her waters, above Sandy's sand streams, and above the Earth's sky itself, Manny gazed down below and eagerly anticipated his meeting with Sandy as well. Together, all of them will one day make the night as peaceful as the gentle waves against a quiet shore.
One night a treasure more beautiful and precious than pearls will be uncovered. All it took to set in motion was a wish as fine as a grain of sand being carefully and patiently nurtured in the protective shell of growing friendship.
Thank you for reading!
As those who read my other story "From Dust to Brightness" may have realized, I really like space! It's an expanse of mystery and adventure that it's very easy to parallel the ocean and the cosmos together. Fun fact: it's said we know more about outer space than our own oceans! Having seen some images of creatures that dwell at the bottom of the ocean, I say aliens can't be much stranger in the looks department.
Anywho, there is a quick reference to a character from the books, along with the obvious mislabeled, furry creature our favorite winter sprite enjoys teasing. Kudos if you spot them!
As mentioned, another part will be coming out where Marea, Sandy, and the other mermaids will be interacting more. Hopefully it will be out in a reasonable timeframe and will be just as enjoyable. Thank you again for reading and have a great day!